coventina
by gryffindormischief
Summary: James Potter didn't expect to meet the love of his life because of an aquarium-based crime ring.


A/N: about 400 billion years late, here is my birthday fic for petals-to-fish. I hope it makes you happy and smile and isn't too hideously inaccurate in a way that ruins your enjoyment (that will make sense soon). I think I managed to keep certain things a surprise so YIKE. ILY my dear

* * *

Sirius squeezes the squeaky toy for the third time in as many minutes. It doesn't sound like much of an imposition, but coupled with the equally as unpredictable pop of his gum and the veritable cacophony that is Sirius Black in a rolling desk chair - James is about thirty seconds from putting his foot through the wall. Or upending his half eaten and mostly soggy mush of a bowl of cereal over his business partner's head.

Being that 'business partner' as an identifying term came _after_ the 'best friend' moniker, James knows just how angry one Sirius Black would become if he were to execute said revenge plot. And the lifetime of experience that goes with what they are to each other also means that James is aware of the unavoidable result - namely the start of a Cold War level escalation of tensions that is far from desirable for anyone involved or living within walking distance of their little office, and could go on indefinitely.

The summer Sirius moved in with the Potters, he stole the prize from the bottom of James' favored cereal so James short-sheeted his bed. Aside from a glare dripping with disdain and a rough kick to his shins, Sirius had let the matter drop. And poor, innocent eleven-year-old James had assumed that _was_ the true end to the war. An eye for an eye and what have you.

Until they returned to school nearly three months later, James bent over to pick up the bit of chalk he'd dropped after a spitball struck his hand and ended up splitting his pants in front of the entire class. That was the day James learned Sirius Black played the long game and cried when he woke up and realized you cut his hair.

So, in his twenty-eighth year, James forgoes more than daydreaming about vengeance and shoves his bowl onto the spare bit of space on his cluttered desk. "This sucks."

"I told you I'd make eggs benedict."

James rolls his eyes. "We've not had a case in - what three weeks?"

"Two and a half - " Sirius begins to correct before a new, unidentified voice sounds from the front of the office.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" footsteps move closer, "The door was just - "

The red-haired woman has wandered into the doorway before James has more than half risen from his chair, disappointedly muting the telly just as Elizabeth is about to verbally eviscerate Mr. Collins. She's gorgeous in the most offensive way and he almost swallows his own tongue.

By some miracle, he does recover quickly enough to greet her. "Welcome to Specter. How may we be of service?"

Sirius tosses the squeeze toy over his shoulder and clasps the potential client's hand, brushing his lips over her knuckles in his usual show of faux gallantry, always to mixed results.

In this instance, he earns a dubious, bordering on humorous expression that has James hopeful Sirius hasn't scared off their first lead in - too long.

"I told you we need a receptionist."

James rolls his eyes, "Yes, because she clearly had _such_ a difficult time seeing through the open door directly in front of my face."

Client-to-be shrugs, "Receptionists do bring a bit of a professional appearance."

Scowling, James returns to his desk chair and drops down in his seat, tossing a stray tennis ball aimlessly and gesturing for the woman to take a seat. Meanwhile, Sirius rummages around in the fridge as if something interesting and edible will miraculously appear since his last foray into it's chilled depths not even thirty-minutes earlier.

"So you know who we are - "

She smiles and settles into the only uncluttered and unclaimed seat in the office, dropping her purse in her lap with no small amount of care. "Lily - Lily Evans. How discrete are you willing to be?"

Sirius re-emerges from his search, sniffing a Chinese food carton of dubious age before grabbing a set of chopsticks from the silverware drawer and tucking in. "We're not called _Specter_ for nothing - we're like the wind. In and out. No one knows."

Lily narrows her eyes but doesn't argue, turning her attention back to James, " _If_ I were to hire you, it would have to be extremely un-noticeable that you were poking around."

Twisting absently in his chair, James grins and ruffles his curls, "We're adept at hiding in plain sight - as a fake boyfriend perhaps."

This earns him an appraising glance, messy dark hair to scuffed trainers, and something in her gaze he's confident can be categorized as not-entirely uninterested. But it passes when her lips twist in a grimace and she begins braiding her hair back. "Boyfriend is hardly enough excuse for the type of investigation that will be necessary."

Sirius lounges on the leather couch tucked up under the lovingly squeegeed window, "Which is?"

Lily spares him a glance, "Unimportant for the moment - your best bet is masquerading as investigative journalists."

Pushing up his glasses, James wanders over to the fridge and pulls out a water bottle for himself and offers a spare to Lily. After taking a swig, he props a hip against the edge of his desk and frowns. "Won't that put people on alert? No one wants an exposé."

After taking a long swallow, Lily sighs. "You two are way more nitpicky than the Yelp reviews lead me to believe."

James grunts, affronted, "Where is this _crime_ anyway?"

"The Scamander County Aquarium."

While James' chin drops to his chest in defeat, Sirius tosses his mostly empty take away carton to the side and rises into his best power pose. "We'll do it."

Sirius disappears into the front office to print off their standard contract while James and Lily settle at the tiny kitchenette they affectionately refer to as the conference table. While Lily's distracted by examining their admittedly childish decor - mostly a mix of band posters, video game paraphernalia, and old football gear - James takes a moment to examine _her_. Given her extensive freckling - largely on her face, neck, and hands - James surmises her work at the aquarium is no desk job. It's an early assumption, but James is willing to bet she works directly with some sort of water-dwelling animal. Which means a gorgeous, cheeky, smart, animal loving woman has just delivered herself into his proverbial lap and he's got a half-finished model of the Fourth Doctor's screwdriver sitting between them on the table.

He doesn't have long to mull over his questionable life choices, as Sirius has chosen this moment to re-enter the room and begin his still shockingly professional sounding explanation of their contract and a bunch of legal jargon Marlene was so kind to draft for them _pro bono_. If one can't get free legal assistance from one's cousin, then what's the point of having a large and disgustingly connected family? Mum says closeness and a sense of place in their increasingly disconnected society, but she's also recently grown fond of binge-watching old episodes of psychologists from the telly so it's anyone's guess whether she's genuine.

By the time James refocuses his attention, Lily's adding her own addendums about payment being contingent on non-disclosure and secrecy among other things. For himself, Sirius looks torn between being frustrated and impressed.

James is suffering no such confusion, feeling his heartbeat rise along with the flush on his cheeks as Lily Evans makes her case with an unbelievable level of gumption.

And then she turns her focus to James, which is when he realizes he's missed the development of the conversation to a point where he's expected to respond. Luckily, Sirius rolls his eyes but otherwise takes pity and pats Lily on the shoulder, taking her card and guiding her to the front room. "Yes, yes, we are fully prepared to do all manner of covert investigations and create a believable backstory to explain ourselves."

Lily narrows her eyes, "Shouldn't we discuss it?"

"It's best if we can capitalize on your genuine surprise," Sirius drawls, practically shooing her from the office and shutting the door behind her with a clatter.

Before James can read him the riot act for being rude, Sirius rounds on James, "You, doe-eyed lover boy, need to get yourself under control so we can actually get paid."

James scowls and grumbles, "I am not doe-eyed."

"You're a tiny, sad Bambi - I shit you not," Sirius sighs, "Now pull yourself together and let's figure out how to be nature journalists."

* * *

Sirius has left on his motorbike for some shockingly swotty book club he joined a few months back because James wasn't 'intellectual enough' to satisfy his needs, so James is alone when the office phone rings. James lifts it from the cradle on the third chime, "Specter Investigative Agency, er – this is James."

"Wow, you really do need a receptionist."

After the squeak that leaves his lips, James counts his lucky stars Sirius isn't around to witness the mess that is James Potter talking to attractive women on the phone. Though he wouldn't be surprised if Sirius sensed it somehow, halfway across the city.

He ruffles his hair nervously and manages to grind out a response. "Lily – I mean, Ms. Evans – alright, Evans?"

Her laugh is so light and beautiful, James can leave aside the fact that she's having a good time at his expense. Once Lily recovers with a big, steadying breath, she sighs. "Lily's fine – or Evans if that floats your boat."

"I'll not commit to one or the other – I like to keep things interesting," James says with a chuckle, finally feeling like he's close to getting back on his metaphorical feet.

Lily clears her throat and there's rustling on the other end of the phone; if he had to guess, she's snuggling up on a couch in some flat in an unknown neighborhood. Maybe Netflix is playing on the telly and – and she's definitely talking while James is having soft daydreams about Lily Evans.

" – So anyway, the point is, I know you feel like you've got everything under control, but _I_ am in need of a bit of. Something. My career may be at stake."

A smile lifts James' lips while he putters around the office, randomly poking and prodding things back 'into place' before rooting through the pantry and refrigerator. His search turns up a can of soda and an unopened package of Maltesers. "Understood," he pops a candy into his mouth and crunches down, "Want to talk through the issue again?"

Then she's clearing her throat and going over the case in an organized manner that's a bit of a culture shock compared to his and Sirius' usual spaghetti-like methods. Once she circles back around to the main point - repeated shipping manifest discrepancies - she sighs, "I'm sorry I must be the worst client ever," there's a clatter that sounds as if she's dropped her mobile and then some colorful swearing, "You're not charging me by the hour for this, are you? Zoologists make shit money."

James laughs, collapsing to the well-worn couch tucked beneath the plate glass window painted across the middle with broad type _Specter_ in blues and greys. "No, this can be a pro bono consult. You made me laugh too much to charge you for it."

"So what I'm hearing is if I stun you with my rapier wit for the duration, I get free services?"

He snorts, "Not if I want to live," and when Lily hums in question, James sighs, "I normally wouldn't share this type of thing, but Sirius will tell everyone and their mother."

Lily hums, thoughtful, "Alright, I'll bite. What's the not-so-secret secret?"

"I have a… a - sizeable trust fund," James says.

"Are you trying to woo me?" Lily asks, chuckling, "Because it's not _not_ working."

Somehow, James manages to keep his cool and drawl, "Don't tease me, Evans."

"I feel like we haven't got to your big reveal yet," Lily says, changing the subject so clunkily it's nearly elegant.

Toeing off his trainers so they land on the floor with two dull slaps, James lets his eyes drift shut while his head droops against the couch arm. "Sirius' family - well, let's just say they're a bunch of abusive arseholes. Sirius spent most of his childhood dealing with it in one way or another. Until he couldn't - he's a Potter in everything but genetics."

Lily's quiet, but her steady breathing assures him she's still there. "Anyway, he was disinherited, except for another rebel Black. But for understandable reasons he doesn't particularly like touching money that has any association with his old life."

There's a quiet moment between them, James lost in the past while Lily presumably works through what he's unloaded on her in a completely unprofessional manner. He's about to apologize or - something - when she clears her throat. "And so Sirius' income is from your fees alone?"

"Mum sneaks ten or twenty pounds into his coat pocket whenever we visit home," James laughs.

"I bet she's a pistol, your mum," Lily surmises, "She'd have to be with you two for sons."

It's such a small thing, grouping them together like that, but James' chest warms at the phrase nonetheless. Most people can't understand it that easily, the way a family becomes more than just blood and heritage - certainly not after a single conversation.

"Well, I have a feeling this case will need a lot of extra effort," Lily drawls, mock thoughtfulness in her tone, "Like enough to warrant some higher fees, or perhaps a bonus?"

At first, James doesn't follow this statement in connection to their conversation, but it doesn't take long. "And if your bank account just _happens_ to be a few hundred pounds more full than it should be – "

"Who's to know but you and I?"

And at that moment James realizes the only thing worse than Lily being the most gorgeous woman he's ever laid eyes on is the fact that she's quite possibly one of the loveliest people he's met.

* * *

"I just don't see why it's such a big issue," James grumbles, avoiding a pram as they wander back toward the office with falafel in hand from a cart they spent months confirming as the best within a ten-block radius.

Sirius takes a long draw from his soda and drops his head back with a dramatic groan. "You cannot ask Lily to let you ride a dolphin – by the way, I resent being made the voice of reason in this relationship."

"Perhaps you're _not_ being the voice of reason, just the buzz kill sent to ruin my good time."

The good-natured sparring session dissolves into a discussion of logistics of their re-watch of the entire Star Wars franchise in chronological order, which lasts through falafel and the subsequent ice cream run. James is well onto his fourth circuit around the office when Sirius tosses the nerf ball at the back of James' head. He catches it and scowls. "So. Our cover."

"I should just be her boyfriend."

James bites back the unreasonable jealousy that rises at the idea of Sirius even putting on the front of dating Lily and tosses the ball skyward. "Lily already nixed that one, and with good reason."

"Other than you being a little jealous baby?"

Grunting, James throws the nerf back with a little too much force. "I was thinking journalists?"

As he claims the rolly chair and tilts back until he can prop his heels up on the desktop, Sirius makes a disgusted noise and kicks off his boots. "Boring."

"But believable."

Sirius sighs, "I suppose I'll be your loyal if flighty photographer."

And then James knows he's won – once Sirius starts discussing specifics, he's on board. It had been that way since they decided to tail one particularly greasy classmate to prove he was behind a series of racist and/or homophobic slur graffiti sprees in the local neighborhoods and Sirius ended up getting delivered into the little racist's dorm where he stayed for an entire weekend.

They spend the rest of the afternoon researching magazines and online publications that would be interested in the aquarium while _also_ debating which will bring just the right amount of attention to distract while not drawing too much intrigue. By the time they're in desperate need of some sort of fried sustenance, they've done about as much prep work as they ever will and all that's left is stealing Remus' camera and tripod and convincing Sirius he doesn't need one of those starchy 'press' hats to look the part.

By the time they're in the car park outside with fake press passes from Peter and Sirius is miraculously sans hat, James has a bit of a giddy feeling in his stomach at seeing Lily again.

Still, they can't go directly to her. Despite the fact that James and Sirius already memorized the floor plan and general daily schedule to such a degree that they could probably pinpoint Lily's location within a few feet, they need to keep up appearances. So they wait at the desk, after Sirius flirts shamelessly with every employee in the vicinity, while Maura goes off to fetch Dr. Evans from the 'Stingray Hideaway.'

Sirius takes a few photos for the cover while James' eyes dart over the entrance hall for any valuable information, though he really can't be sure what's valuable yet. Still, it never hurts to have a few pamphlets on hand, so he grabs a map, an instructional booklet, and a special packet on visiting animals.

Just as he's beginning to get bored, Maura returns with Lily on her heels, all glowing smiles and shining hair and entirely too green eyes to tolerate on a regular basis. At least without drooling or making a complete arse of oneself.

By some miracle, James manages to do neither as he presents his hand and introduces himself. "James E. Jones. I'm a freelance nature writer – and he's my photographer."

Lily blinks at him as she shakes his hand, slowly. "James E. Jones. That's your name?"

He holds her gaze, " _Yup_."

Something bubbles in his chest when he sees the way her lips twitch, which has him introducing Sirius as 'Mr. Bacon.'

And, never one to let a bit drop, Sirius leans forward and offers his own hand, the other gripping his camera like a seasoned pro, "You can call me Chris."

Aside from a tightening of her jaw, Lily doesn't acknowledge their utterly hideous choices of pseudonyms, instead, telling Maura she'll be busy for the next hour or so and she's not to be disturbed.

Once they're out of the areas open to the public – which takes longer than it should when James gets caught up with a dolphin because they have a 'connection' – Sirius clears his throat, "James and I were thinking we'd like to see some of the behind the scenes of an aquarium, the stuff no one talks about because it's boring."

James rolls his eyes while Lily snorts. "What my associate means, is the things everyone _thinks_ are boring."

Lily weaves her hair into a loose braid as they walk, tying off the end with a spare rubber band from her wrist as she leads them down a winding series of hallways. Once they reach a set of large metal doors, Lily turns back over her shoulder. "How about we follow the journey of a new creature when they arrive at the Scamander? Should make for an interesting piece, yeah?"

Her brows are raised and James takes the leading question for what it is. "Great idea."

Sirius hems and haws as he joins them on the loading dock, "As long as I can get the type of photo compositions I'm known for."

Snorting, James can't help but lean into Lily's ear, "Which would be blurry selfies and obsessive numbers of pictures of his motorbike."

"My face is a gift in all focuses."

Lily's heels clack on the metal stairs that lead down to the main floor, both boys close behind. "Sounds about right."

The tour is relatively uneventful, aside from verifying what Lily noticed – the two and three crate discrepancies in the bi-weekly shipments – and James' not-so-subtle hints about riding a dolphin, and before they know it, they're safely in Lily's office.

James and Sirius each claim one of the cozy chairs set in front of her over-full bookcase while Lily flicks the teakettle on and preps three mugs.

Sirius begins flicking through his cache of photos and James is flipping through his notepad – some important scribbles, but he's most proud of his animation of stick figure Sirius falling in a hole – until he murmurs, "So there's obviously a problem. The question, as far as I see it, is whether the discrepancy is an accident or for some nefarious purpose."

With an unconvincing cough as cover, Sirius mumbles, "Somebody's whipping out the big vocabulary."

Taking the opportunity to shove Sirius while Lily's either accidentally or intentionally ignoring their antics, James growls back, "Stuff it."

"Imagine what mum would say if you brought home a _doctor_."

"Bloody buggering – "

Lily turns, two mugs in hand, and shoves one toward James and Sirius each. "Drink up," she pauses to wink, "Doctor's orders."

* * *

They spend a handful of minutes getting up to date on who's who around the aquarium – because that's a thing James is now required to think about – before Lily's called away for a school tour and Sirius starts getting antsy.

It's pretty clear, looking at the basic facts, that the culprit has to be somewhere in the chain of command for shipping and receiving – not a given but close enough that it feels like a safe jumping off point.

But once Lily leaves the two of them in her office – unquestionably a terrible judgment call – Sirius perks up and rounds Lily's desk.

"Boring, boring. Oh look more boring," Sirius drawls as he flicks the bottom of each sticky note that litters her desk, computer, and pretty much any spare surface. "Are you sure about this one?"

"I am sure that _our client_ is not paying us to snoop – is that a picture of her with a _partner_?"

Sirius snorts, "If photos together are how you determine relationships, you'd be getting crystal for our anniversary. And no – they've got the same chin."

James pinches the bridge of his nose, "No. Enough. You head back to the loading dock for more 'pictures' and I'll see about interviews."

They part ways at the first juncture, luckily both counting a good sense of direction as one of their actual skills - contrary to what his CV says, Sirius has not played a perfect game of golf - and James heads for the employee lounge Lily had pointed out briefly on their way toward her office.

It's fairly empty, which makes sense when he considers things, since there needs to be enough staff on the floor at any moment to deal with visitors, but there's a couple of blokes holed up in the corner watching something on a mobile and a blonde girl who James would wager is part wood nymph or something equally fantastical.

She's got wide, thick spectacles on and is marking up a magazine, but seems the type who notices things, so James heads for her first. "Hallo, I'm here - "

The girl - because James is fairly certain he has concert tees that are older than her - glances up at him, blinking rather owlishly, before she pushes her glasses back into her hair. "You're one of the magazine blokes. Lily - Dr. Evans - mentioned you'd be around."

James offers a smile and sets his notepad on the table in front of him, tapping his pen mindlessly against the metal rings. "Right, I'm James - and you are?"

She closes her magazine, the margins crammed with odd notations and a few doodles, and glances up at James, "Luna."

"So - ah. Lily - she's nice enough, it seems - how long have you known her?"

Luna tilts her head sideways, considering him in a way that makes him feel as if she can see straight through to his spine. Or at least to that little part of his brain that stores the warm feelings he has about a particular PhD's teasing grin and wide green eyes. "Is that what your piece is about? Lily?"

Luckily, he doesn't flush because he's a grown man who's working a possible criminal case and definitely does _not_ get crushes on every beautiful woman that crosses his path, but he does flub his usual quick draw cheekiness. "She's - er. No. Not per se," he ruffles his hair, "It's about the aquarium in general. Lily - Dr. Evans is just our point of contact."

A smile ticks up the corner of Luna's mouth. "She is very beautiful. I've always thought so. And I'll answer your questions because I think you seem nice. And Lily hasn't had anybody in - a very long time."

James feels his brows rise into his hairline and he _really_ wants to pursue this line of inquiry more, but he's also going to meet up with Sirius later and if the only intel he's gathered is about Lily's dating history he will live to regret it. "I - Well that's good to know, I suppose. You've known her a while then?"

Luna sips her odd green drink, thoughtful. "Well she visited my primary a few times a year and I always had questions saved up to ask her after the class presentation. So once I was old enough, she asked me to come intern for the summer - and then I stayed on year round. Lily's training me to do tours."

"So you move around a lot here," James asks, "Got a finger on the pulse and such?"

Her wide blue eyes seem to almost see straight through him and James is already trying to figure out how to lie and fudge his way out of this without getting exposed, but she simply lets her gaze slide over to the other two inhabitants of the room before returning to James. "I see more than most would guess. Loony Lovegood gets overlooked."

James doesn't quite know what to say - can you apologize for other people being arseholes? - but he's spared the continued struggle when Luna shrugs, "It doesn't bother me much - Lily calls me Lovey sometimes, which I like well enough."

A smile tilts his lips as Luna changes topics, "In answer to your question, I do see and notice a good deal. If you're a friend of Lily's and you've got questions, come find me," her gaze darts over to the other table, "Their lunch should be long over."

And then, after a short and sincere smile, Luna straightens her overlarge glasses and resumes her reading, apparently finished with their conversation for the moment.

Which isn't a problem. She's certainly not the culprit and James doesn't have enough information to ask her questions yet.

James accepts the demonstrated dismissal for what it is and sets his sights on the odd duo tucked up in the corner. After making his way over, he lingers at the free chair and flashes his (definitely legit) press badge and a hopefully disarming smile.

Still, they're so locked into whatever video they're watching James ends up clearing his throat at least four times and says some form of "pardon" or "hello" before they even spare him a glance.

And after that delay, his grin has shifted into a slight grimace and he's already hoping they're somehow in on it because they're actually annoyed with _him_. But James is nothing if not a charming fellow, so he slips into the role well enough despite his annoyance and tugs out his chair, flipping it around to straddle the seat and prop his forearms on the back. "Alright there?"

The taller, overall stringy looking one looks at James and manages to pack a shocking amount of disdain into such a small gesture. James half wants to ask whether takes a lot of effort to hate someone so immediately and with such subtlety. Again, he manages to curtail his urges, which is good. He's an adult who should not word-vomit and insult at the drop of a hat. But his maturity is bound to run out and he's getting nervous about using it in such quick succession and so early in the day.

The second - who really can only be described as short, squat, and slightly rat-faced - finally deigns to give James about a quarter of his full attention. Which, is probably as good as he's going to get at this point. "I'm a freelance journalist working on a piece for - "

Short and squat interrupts, "And I care because?"

James is willing to admit his mouth does drop open a bit because he'd been a little shit in his day - and still is sometimes on weekends, holidays with mum and dad, and their school reunions - but he's never been _this_ much of an arsehole. At least he hopes. Perhaps an apology card to McGonagall is in order regardless.

While he's having a mini internal crisis, an airy voice sounds from over his shoulder, "You care, Crabbe, because he's a particular friend of Dr Evans."

Which, really was a kindly meant intervention on Luna's part, but the emphasis on 'particular' will just be fuel for - exactly what happens.

It always starts off with the childish elbowing, then muttered (and highly offensive) comments that are intended to at least appear intended for only some ears, and then depending on his self-control level, ends up with James using his fists. Best case scenario, he's got to pay for someone to repair a hole in the drywall. Worst case, he's started a brawl and/or has to avoid getting carted off for the night.

If he's being honest, it's really not self-control or 'adultishness' that keeps him from doing something rash. It's more the fact that making an enemy this early could seriously hurt his ability to help Lily. And well. Anyway.

He manages to take a deep breath, steadying himself before he continues, " _Dr_. Evans, the highly trained, educated, and intelligent woman who holds your employment future in her hands and who's ear I happen to have at the moment," a pause to let the concept sink in, since it seems he's not necessarily dealing with the brightest bulbs, "Has given me permission to poke around and interview the staff as I see fit for my upcoming article."

James feels a bit chuffed with himself when his mini tirade manages to render his audience speechless and gets renewed energy to press forward. "So, Mr Crabbe and Mr?"

"Goyle," the stringy one supplies with a grunt.

"Mr Goyle," James parrots, "I'm starting off getting a general history from each employee so I can get the full picture of the aquarium and an idea of what kind of resources I'll have at my disposal."

Crabbe huffs, obviously unimpressed, but he grinds out an answer on both their behalfs. "We jus' do the heavy lifting 'round here. Nothing special."

James files that away under 'probably important; definitely remember' but hopefully manages to keep his expression neutral. "No, there's nobody with a job too small - like I said, I want to get a full picture. Sometimes you've got to go to the heavy lifters, so to speak."

A little buttering up never hurts - though James'll admit it was a bit of a half-hearted effort.

And yet, it seems to work as the two gits start preening like peacocks.

So James hunkers down and begins poking and prodding them (metaphorically) for information, possible motives, and any other tidbits about the general function of the shipping and receiving department.

In the end, he feels fairly certain they're too dim to manage any kind of heist or shenanigan on their own, but seem to be prime candidates for brute force lackeys. Between their seeming distaste for authority in general - and not in the fun, marauding type way - and their completely incomprehensible dislike of one Lily Evans, it seems one wouldn't be hard pressed to convince them to join up with some plot to injure the red headed PhD or more generally, the aquarium. Particularly if money was to change hands.

A half hour later, James has finally excused himself from the break room with a notebook full of information to share with Sirius once they get back to the office. He's honest with himself in the sense that he knows Lily won't be getting an update until he's got something to say that sounds intelligent and maybe a little badass.

Using his _excellent_ sense of direction, James follows a few twists and turns toward Lily's office and instead finds himself in the main lobby just at the back of a VIP group being led by the woman herself.

Up until today, James' list of things he's attracted to was pretty standard, sense of humor, somewhere on the spectrum of actually liking Sirius, a high level of sass abilities, strong opinions about select pop culture features, and he's willing to admit he's got a thing for eyes. Which is a list Lily Evans was already ticking boxes on one after another. But, now, seeing her in that little pencil skirt and jumper practically up to her chin, and most importantly, saying intellectual and professorial things in an authoritative voice - James is a mess.

"- actually, all cephalopods - including the giant squid - have a radula. Which, in case you aren't a mollusk scholar, is the tongue. Each cephalopod tongue has tiny tooth like spikes along it that aid in digestion."

And because James is a veritable child, he pipes in, "Sounds like a nasty date."

"Better than you," Lily fires back with barely a pause, and nearly short circuits James' brain in the process. He's a mess of a human being.

Somehow, though, aside from a few slightly judgemental glances from the people _actually_ on the tour and a ratcheting up of his hideous crush, James makes it through the ordeal unscathed.

After his outburst, the rest of the tour passes with relatively little happenings of interest and James manages to get a pretty good mental map of the main area. Lily gives her little wrap up speech and hangs around until the last of the VIPs wander over to the gift shop, gaze finding James as the last slightly creepy old man shuffles away with her polite rebuff ringing in his ears.

"How'd you like the tour, stow away?"

He laughs, ruffling his hair as he ambles closer, "Very informative - though I highly doubt I'm a worse date than a giant squid."

Lily quirks a brow, "Depends who you're asking."

"You got a thing for cephalopods, Evans?" James asks, teasing as he nudges her with his elbow and she leads the way toward the employee offices.

Before Lily can answer (and maybe if he's in a hopeful mood, he'd call it flirting) he's forced to see the most lime green day suit he's ever experienced. Which, in his opinion, is so horrifyingly bright it's criminal, but he's no expert. The woman's a bit bird like; peering at him from behind overly bedazzled glasses and pursing her bright red lips. "Lily, who's your friend?"

As if James _wasn't_ uncomfortable enough just being in the presence of such an inhuman shade of fluorescent green, the undeniably lascivious way the interloper's eyes drag over him from head to toe has him half ready to upchuck his rushed (and decidedly unhealthy) sugary cereal from breakfast. He's about to rise above and offer his hand in a professional manner when Lily knits her arm through his and smiles dangerously. "Rita, this is my boyfriend James."

This time, he genuinely does choke on his tongue.

Lily flushes, "And he's doing a piece on the Aquarium for Nat Geo."

Rita looks like she's going to press the issue, manicured fingers toying with the jewels at her neck, but Lily cuts her off. "We really should be off, enjoy your holiday."

And then she's ushering James off down the hallway toward her office. It's quiet and fairly empty and James _really_ wants to bring up the whole 'he's my boyfriend' thing, but Lily must sense it, because she selects a subject with decisiveness that James is willing to admit he finds really attractive. She's uncovering a whole host of new weird 'things' he's in to.

"So anything interesting in your interviews and such?"

James shrugs, still trying to process his rollercoaster of an afternoon. "I spoke to Luna, and a couple of odd blokes in the break room."

Lily's face lights at the mention of Luna, "She's lovely - quirky but a lovely, sweet little thing. Her mum died when she was very young and it's just been Luna and her dad since."

"That makes my follow up 'she seems like a valuable resource' comment sound shallow now," James says.

Laughing quietly, Lily glances around before murmuring, "It's not as if I'm paying you to be emotionally deep - "

"I could be."

She snorts, "Be that as it may," Lily unlocks the door to her office and gestures for James to enter first, shutting the door behind her, "So Crabbe and Goyle are a couple of goblins aren't they."

"That's not a very nice thing to say about goblins."

Flicking the kettle on, Lily claims one of the more comfortable chairs in her office and gestures for James to take the other as she kicks her shoes off. "I considered them right off but - "

"They've not really got the chops to be criminal masterminds, eh?"

"Probably'd be dim enough to put it on their CV."

With a snicker, James settles into the seat across from Lily and slumps down, suddenly feeling tiredness seep into his bones. They're quiet for a spell, but a comfortable sort James doesn't often feel. He's felt beyond comfortable with Sirius for most of his life, or as far as he can remember, but they don't really do silences. It's usually lots of banter and teasing and maybe a bit on the spectrum of actual arguing, but quiet's not a big part of their repertoire.

So this silence is unusual, rejuvenating, and oddly exciting in it's own way. Just Lily's soft breaths and the ticking of his ancient watch, the quiet hum of the air con - he's so at ease it would be easy to just drift off like an elderly man collecting retirement.

It's in that in between - where some people see tiny Julia Roberts looking like a tiny fairy - where James' mind claps on an idea. "Hey - Rita."

She smirks, rising to turn the kettle off and prep their tea. "No, Lily."

James rolls his eyes. "Is she old money? Or an heiress or something?"

Brow furrowed, Lily fixes James' tea almost to his exact preference - she's a bit heavy handed with the honey - and returns, placing his mug on the table and blowing on her own. "Why? Thinking about making a move?"

"I think I threw up in my mouth a little," James says with a wince, "But no. I'm talking about her conspicuous consumption display."

"Ooh, so very intellectual," Lily says lightly, before that wrinkle appears between her brows, "You don't think - "

"She's got the access, yeah?" James reasons, "Although she'd have to be pretty dull to be so obvious about her hauls."

Lily hums, "Rita's not stupid, just - she tends to think she's above it all. Including getting caught out at anything."

"It's just a hunch, but I think this is as good a trail to follow as any - does she interact with Crabbe and Goyle much?"

"She does a lot with PR," Lily answers, cheeks heating, then rushes to explain, "Which is why I did the whole bit to get you away from her quickly, she'd want to know why she was out of the loop with this whole article thing."

"I could've flubbed my way out of that," James says, feeling some of his usual moxie - yes _moxie_ \- return as he catches the way she bites her lip, the shuttering of her eyes, "I think we both know Rita was about to get handsy and _you_ were about to get jealous."

Lily scoffs.

"Oh right, you were already on the jealousy train," her scoff is more like a growl and James is not mature enough to let this go, "Out of the station and halfway to," Lily rolls her eyes and throws a half-eaten biscuit at his head, "I dunno, where does the jealousy train go?"

"Jealous-land?"

James strokes his jaw, thoughtful, "It's not quite right, is it?"

Snickering, Lily's about to fire off another option when her office door slams open, "Fear not, the beautiful member of this team has now arrived."

"Wow, rude," James says, "I'm beautiful."

Lily hums, "I'd say ruggedly handsome."

"Oh _really_ ," Sirius cuts in, perking up as he pours himself a mug of tea.

"I - he's - James is - never mind."

James takes pity, knowing teasing from Sirius is both endless and brutal, and cuts in. "We were just discussing possible suspects - you have anything?"

"Pretty much everyone in shipping and receiving seems all kinds of creepy, but I don't have much of substance," Sirius shrugs, "But I did get copies of all the manifests that didn't match up."

Scowling, Lily's mouth drops open, likely to ask exactly _how_ Sirius managed that feat, but he's not one to miss a dramatic reveal, or a chance to brag about his flirting capabilities, "What can I say? Henrietta in records is apparently _quite_ susceptible to the charms of a svelte man."

" _Anyway_ , James thinks Rita Skeeter in PR could be the lead on this whole, whatever it is."

Nodding, James scoots forward in his seat, "So after she leaves today I'm - "

" _We're_ ," Lily cuts in.

"We?"

"I'm not unleashing you in here without supervision," Lily says simply, "Sirius told me about the dolphin thing."

James yelps, "Traitor."

* * *

The lot is empty and dimly lit when James pulls into one of the employee spots near the back entrance. He pulls out his mobile to text Lily that he's arrived and finds Sirius' last few 'helpful' messages, including reminders that there are security cameras in the public spaces, that he forgot to use aftershave, that women like to be wined and dined, and lastly to try to make his face less dorky. After firing off a quick message telling Sirius to 'stuff it', James alerts Lily and waits patiently outside the locked door.

It's only a few moments before she appears, breathless with wild hair and eyes that he really hopes do drip over him like he thinks they are. Particularly since he'd changed outfits to look 'cool and casual' while also showing off what Sirius calls his 'lanky but still hot' body.

There's an awkward moment where James steps forward, halfway between deciding if a hug is too forward or not while Lily somehow ends up simultaneously holding his hand and punching him in the gut. Which would be awkward enough if James' subconscious hadn't decided the happy medium between hug and handshake was an almost on the lips cheek kiss.

Lily's cheeks flush but she doesn't smack him, so he counts it as a win and follows as she leads the way toward her office.

It's quiet, and only sparse lights illuminate the corridors, so when they pass by some of the main areas, it almost feels like he's underwater. Lily clears her throat. "So we're alone, except for the night guard."

"And our cover?"

"I'm giving you an interview in my office and you might take some pictures. That'll at least leave us free to move around a bit."

James nods, "I don't have Sirius' camera - his book club is doing some outdoor event and he's the official photographer. Don't say I told you."

"Don't give me a reason to," Lily says, glancing at him sideways, lips ticking up in a smirk.

And before he can do something dumb (or perhaps smart, he's not sure) like kiss her for real, James licks his lips. "I - so Rita's office."

Lily smooths her shirt - a casual t-shirt from her alma mater that _really_ shouldn't be doing things for him - and leads the way, jangling her keys. "It's just down the hall. This is really the only sketchy bit of the evening."

"That's a little disappointing, if I'm honest."

Chuckling, Lily slides the keys into Rita's door. "We can go get takeaway from the taco shop down the street and grab too many extra forks."

"You rebel."

"I can be - not just anyone would agree to break into a coworker's office in the dead of night on a hunch."

"It's more than a hunch," James huffs, prodding an odd floral piece with fake butterflies and beetles mixed in with the bright blooms.

Lily pauses her careful perusal of the bookshelves and quirks a brow until James relents, "Slightly more than a hunch."

"Better than what I had two days ago."

James snorts and begins rifling through Rita's desk drawers - blowing past the ones filled with bedazzled office supplies - until he finds the locked one. "Ah, my true weakness - cheap file locks."

As Lily chuckles and wanders over, James pulls his lock-picking kit from his pocket and begins fiddling with the drawer.

It doesn't take long, just a few clicks and twists, until the drawer slides open with a dull squeak. He's about to turn and probably peacock a bit about his skills when Lily's slim fingers dangle an odd little keyring in front of his nose. "Perhaps you should've checked the other drawers more carefully."

"You could've told me you found the key."

"I like it when you peacock."

James tugs the drawer open and has barely grabbed the USB inside when voices sound from the corridor, drawing ever closer. Lily's eyes dart to him, panicked and he casts about the room for a hiding place when he finally spots the odd little armoire in the corner. She follows his gaze and they manage to make sure everything's in place - save the swiped USB and the desk key - before darting into the luckily half empty cabinet.

It's a bit of a struggle to fit two grown people into the cramped space, but James does some rather impressive - if he does say so himself - contortions so they can pull the doors shut behind them. The unforeseen result is Lily's mouth coming into contact with his thrumming pulse point, or at least very near it.

She shifts a little and they're more cheek to cheek, which is probably best for James' sanity. Until she whispers and her suspected soft lips are confirmed as little torturous pillows of pleasure that caress his ear in the most terrible way. Luckily, the phrase, "I think it's Goyle," is probably the least sensual thing anyone's ever said while pressed together hip to shoulder, so James manages a fairly steady voice when he murmurs back, "I really hope they're committing a crime together and this isn't some weird kinky office hook-up thing."

Lily winces, "There's about to be at least one crime, after _that_ mental image being forced into my brain."

James doesn't get a chance to continue their hushed banter because Lily's palm seals over his mouth as she darts her eyes toward the closet doors meaningfully.

Goyle shuffles around for a few minutes, an odd combination of quiet and utterly boring for someone who broke into a locked office after hours. If it's still breaking and entering when the person in question has a key.

Regardless, James' question is soon answered as Goyle meanders his way over to the file cabinets that line the far wall and begins shuffling through the folders and he begins talking, apparently to himself. Until Lily jabs her elbow into James' side and wiggles her hand by her ear, thumb and pinky extended like a weird, hand shaped phone.

Nodding, James presses his ear to the seam of the doors, his head just over Lily's so her breaths tickle his neck.

"Hello, I'm fine, thanks for asking," Goyle grumbles.

There's a pause, "Yes, Crabbe and I replaced the manifests and got the crates out before Evans even saw."

James pulls back and raises his brows at Lily in the dim light - her face is drawn. Before he can ask if she's alright (in whatever strange hand signal laden manner he could manage) Goyle slams the file cabinet shut and growls, "Alright, _Prince_ ," Lily muffles her gasp with a hand to her mouth. The rest of the call is basically filled with more vaguely incriminating information and then Goyle leaves with a file in hand.

As the door clicks shut behind him, James turns to Lily, "What - "

"I know who this is."

* * *

They wait a few minutes, just to be sure, before silently collecting their things from Lily's office and wandering out to the car park.

James pauses, hip propped against his car while Lily stands, staring off into the distance. She swipes under her eyes and clears her throat. "I - uh - I forgot my car - " her voice breaks.

Casually as he can, James extends his arm and brushes his fingertips along her wrist. Lily grabs his hand before he can let it drop away, so their palms are pressed together. "Well when did you last have it?"

Lily barks out a wet laugh, shuffling closer so she can droop into James' side. Which would make him much happier if she wasn't looking so utterly wrecked. She sighs. "You're - you're something else."

"That a good thing?" James asks softly, brushing his thumb along the back of her hand.

She smiles, a bit stronger, but James doesn't particularly like the way it wavers at the corner. So much as he'd like to press for more information to satisfy the curious part of his brain (a mystery in crime _and_ romance) he sends her a sideways grin. "I dunno about you, but I'm _starving_."

Lily snorts. "I'll tell you the good places to eat if you give me a ride."

"How many points do I get for _not_ making a joke out of that?" James asks as he clicks the locks open on his bright blue mini.

Sliding into the passenger seat, Lily smirks, "Trying to decide if it's enough to justify the exercise of self control?"

With a chuckle, James claims the driver's seat and twists the key until the engine turns over. As the radio comes to life, the nineties throwback station blares 'MMMBop' an embarrassingly loud volume. They both blink, unresponsive for an oddly extended period of time before Lily tilts her head back and wails, " _Bah bah doo_ \- "

And, never one to resist a sing-along, James jumps in, " _Yeeeah, yeeah_!"

The rest of their spontaneous karaoke session fills the time it takes to get back to the main road, and then Lily's directing James toward her favorite open-late Chinese takeaway. They order a number two, a number four, and agree to split a number twelve before heading back to James' car and letting the seats back so James can prop his feet on either side of the steering wheel. Lily eyes his pose speculatively before kicking off her sneakers and tucking her feet beneath her.

As she slurps another street noodle, James clears his throat, "So uh, Prince?"

"Why don't we discuss something less personal and painful, like that time my boyfriend was so nice when he dumped me that I didn't realize?"

"I'm not particularly susceptible to deflections," James frowns.

"And I don't often fall victim to browbeating," Lily volleys, squeezing more duck sauce onto her egg roll and avoiding eye contact.

James scoops a large spoonful of fried rice into his mouth and gulps it down, awkward. "I - I didn't mean to."

"Well you kinda did," Lily says, "I just - it not a story I like to tell. And it's got lots of other related drama and angst. Probably a little much for detective client working dinner."

"Would it make you feel better if I pointed out that it's at least _partially_ related to the case?"

Lily chuckles and James feels a bit lighter for it; the knowledge that he maybe made whatever it is feel slightly less bleak. "Not really, but - "

"Just do it - I unloaded all my Sirius angst on you before we'd known each other for forty-eight hours."

In a pretty clear display of stalling, Lily stabs her chopsticks into the fried rice aimlessly, but eventually, she blows out a breath and darts her eyes to James'. "Severus Snape was my neighbor, growing up."

The fight to keep his expression placid is only _partially_ self-motivated and mainly to keep things on track. A goal which he apparently succeeds in since Lily continues, "He was always a little; he was nice enough to me. Petunia was another story," she shrugs, "But she gave as good as she got and I was young and stupid."

James fiddles with the paper on his eggroll. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say young and _idealistic_ is more accurate. Which isn't a bad thing - the people who try and crush that out of people like you - they're the bad guys."

Lily coughs out a wet laugh, swiping under her eyes messily before she drops her head against the seat and sighs. "James' in car may be sweeter than they appear."

"Smooth."

"I'm emotionally compromised."

Mirroring her position, James takes a risk and brings his hand to her jaw, brushing her damp cheek with his thumb. "I wish you weren't."

"Tip o' the iceberg," Lily jokes, but she does lean into his palm, so it seems it was a good call on some level, "It started off with some sketchy racist ideas and I called him on it. At first he'd apologize, then it was excuses, and then - well then it turned to gang violence and theft and - well there were no more excuses or apologies."

Taking in a deep breath, James steadies himself for whatever's about to come of his impending confession. "I er- so Severus, eh?"

Lily's eyes narrow. " _Yes_."

"Not a common name, is it?"

"That your contribution?"

James grits his teeth, but manages to get himself to speak. "We went to school together, me, Sniv- Snape, Sirius, Remus - "

"You going to list all of your classmates?"

James fiddles with the steering wheel and shifts in his seat. "Well there was a bit of an unhealthy rivalry that got - sketchy at times."

Lily raises her brow and takes him in for a moment, but eventually she recognizes his internal struggle and speaks up. "I'm sure it was a fabulously immature and at times extra-legal battle. He tried to blame a lot of shite on someone - I guess you - from school. But there comes a point where someone's got to take responsibility for their life."

Biting at his lip, James pokes at his knee through the hole in his trousers, but doesn't respond. Lily smiles, "I will say, the whole 'there's an asshole at school' excuse is a lot easier to buy into _before_ things reach the point of armed robbery."

And somehow, Lily saying it's _not_ his fault just makes him feel like more of a jerk. It's been ten years since he's even seen Severus Snape and it's still a bit of an open wound, that reminder that he could so easily be convinced to stoop to someone's level just for a laugh and stupid satisfaction. But his gradual ascent into maturity has brought many positive changes, including the fact that he knows not everything revolves around him and his feelings. Which is why he quickly turns his attention back to Lily as she continues, "I offered to help him out - like if he and his mum needed money I was going to get him help. So, he told me off and called me all kinds of foul names in front of his 'mates' - and. That was it."

James reaches over and squeezes her hand. She grips it and bites her lip. "For a long time, I wondered if it wasn't worth that much - cutting things off once he finally attacked _me_ directly."

"I'm going to circle back around to that whole 'you're a kind person who was taken advantage of by a jerk,' concept."

" _Petunia_ knew - she saw it from the beginning," Lily says, the radio playing softly in the background.

"And Petunia is?"

"Sister - we're. We're not really in touch since, well since I got a scholarship for this posh boarding school and she didn't," Lily answers, "This is a lot - I'm sorry."

"So you get into a good school and - you grew apart?"

"She ditched me," Lily shrugs, "It was gradual, and the decisions were hers, but it's probably better. I don't think I could've initiated two 'cutting you out for my own good' events in such close succession."

Crunching into a fortune cookie, James pulls out the paper and reads the short message, " _The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese._ "

Lily chuckles, "Dark. As a lover of animals I feel dirty for finding that mildly amusing."

"It's just a hypothetical," James jokes, prodding Lily's shoulder with one finger, "So's that why you got into the business, love of animals?"

"In the barest of terms, sure," Lily says, "I started thinking about it as more than just something that meant I'd always have a pet when my Gran, she said something cutesy about using my brain for things I care about."

"That's sweet."

"Yeah, but I did edit out a lot of swearing," Lily answers, "She had a bit of a mouth. Anyway - that's _more_ than enough about me. How'd you become a private detective?"

"Career ending injury, like figuring out puzzles, too cheeky to actually be a copper," James rattles off, but apparently Gran Evans wasn't exaggerating about the 'brain' thing.

"Should I poke at that particular avoidance?" Lily asks with a smirk, shifting in her seat so one leg's bent up underneath her bum.

"I - are all Marine Biologists this intuitive?"

"It comes with the dolphin specialization."

"Speaking of dolphins," James smirks still not relenting, "Since this case is mostly solved, I think my magic swim should be coming up soon. Yeah?"

"No promises until I get what I'm paying for," Lily answers, cracking into her own fortune cookie - though she passes the cookie itself over to James, " _There's no sorrow in the world a hot bath wouldn't help, just a little bit._ "

"Is that a come on?"

"Sadly, I think you're far more interested in swimming with my dolphins than withme," Lily teases, twisting her hair into a loose braid and fiddling with the end. Which is for the best - a temporary increase in his struggle to _not_ touch her hair but all around a state of affairs that would make said touching much more difficult.

He doesn't get a chance to volley back before Lily lets out a yawn rather reminiscent of a lion on the Serengeti after a particularly delicious meal. "You're tired."

Lily blinks slowly, "I did have a long day - on many levels - and you did too."

"Let's get you home, eh?"

The ride to Lily's house is short, punctuated by similar short directions and yawns from the both of them. James pulls up into the drive, the car idling while the radio DJ switches to those late night ballads that do nothing but make you even _more_ tired than you already are. Luckily, the music's interspersed with lots of TMI phone calls from listeners looking for a mix of advice and loosely related song selections.

But instead of slipping from the car and into her house, leaving James to his highly unlikely daydreams about enticing a certain Marine Biologist with his whiles and _also_ getting to swim with the dolphins, Lily leans across the center console and presses a lingering kiss to James' cheek and murmurs a quiet 'thanks.'

She doesn't pull away, not that far anyway, and James takes a deep breath. "I - can I be honest with you? Since it's honesty night, apparently."

Lily laughs. "I didn't know it had an official name, but sure, shoot."

Somehow, they're a lot closer than James realized, their noses brushing when he murmurs, "If you weren't a client, I'd probably want to kiss you right now."

"But me hiring you makes me suddenly undesirable?"

James works his jaw, "I er - I mean I _would_ kiss you, but I just."

She looks at him for a minute, disturbingly unreadable in her expression, before she speaks, "Well, then I guess we reconvene?"

Despite the disappointment at keeping up his personally mandated code about clients and snogging, James feels a little kernel of hope in his chest at the idea of _later_. However indefinite it is. So he lets her go with a smile, watches her slip inside, and grins a bit stupidly when she turns back and waves.

* * *

The following morning, they meet up at a little coffee shop at the midway point between the Scamander and Remus' office. When James pulls up out front, he sits in the quiet of his car for a slightly embarrassingly long time, debating how awkward his first encounter with Lily post . But it's better to be embarrassed in the privacy of your own vehicle than in front of a certain gorgeous red headed brilliant - Lily.

At least it was until Sirius rapped on the window and grinned at him in that way that almost _always_ precedes a hall of fame teasing session. The single exception was when Sirius had his appendix out and got disturbingly cheery and affectionate when under anesthesia.

With a roll of his eyes, James heaves himself from the car seat and slams the door shut behind him, all under Sirius' obnoxiously lofty gaze. And he does manage to be pretty cool, calm, and collected. Until he sees Lily and she waves and he trips over the kerb and nearly eats pavement.

Luckily, she hadn't seen them and they're both distracted by Remus' arrival. "'Lo, Bobbsey twins."

James snorts and Sirius shoves Remus' shoulder. "I hope you're here to actually do something helpful."

"Taking the mickey out of you two is a public service," Remus drawls, "Imagine how out of control you'd get without me shaking your little 'cool' image every once in a while."

"James sleeps in footie pajamas."

"One time! To make Mum happy on _Christmas_ because I'm a good son."

Remus cuts between the two of them and lays an open palm on each of their shoulders. "So there's a client inside, yeah?"

The three of them tromp inside in an odd sort of parade, Remus and Sirius shuffling off to place their orders and shooing James toward Lily where she's tucked in a table in the corner. James is halfway across the room, having dodged a toddler making a break for it and a few frappe wielding teenagers, when Lily glances up from her mobile and greets him with a wave.

Answering with his own grin, James somehow manages to reach Lily without making a total fool if himself. He pulls out a seat and tosses his jacket across the back. "Dr. Evans."

"So formal, Detective Potter."

A snort sounds from over James' shoulder, "Technically, I'm the only real detective."

Lily's twinkling eyes shift from James to the interloper - Remus given the context and dry comment - and she offers her hand. "Lily Evans, lovely to meet you."

"Remus Lupin, I'm the detective these two like to drag into their investigations willy nilly. No offense."

Sirius joins them, balancing three cups between his hands, and claims a seat with that easy grace James has always envied. Whatever his talent on the field, James' ability to navigate the rest of the world without fumbling was not quite up to Sirius' standard - something the latter loved to point out while using words like 'gangly' and 'pre pubescent lump'.

"Evans, how was your spooky detective date? Jamesy here was very tight lipped but also doing lots of heart eyes at me all night. So either I'm about to get a love confession or - "

James crunches into a biscotti and grumbles, "I hate you."

Despite James' current desire for the ground to swallow him whole, his mood lifts somewhat at Lily's muffled laughter. He doesn't get to enjoy the color it brings to her cheeks for long because Remus brings them back around to the true purpose of their meeting. Which is sadly not staring lovingly at Lily Evans.

"So, I know you've got theories, but I can't really do much without some evidence. And from what I hear, the USB was a bust."

Swiping James' half-eaten biscotti, Sirius takes a crumbly bite and points the nub at Remus, "You are such a party pooper. Plus I have pictures of the manifests with the discrepancies."

"Yes, but that's not going to get me where I know we need to go - I can't arrest someone for shoddy administrative work," and in anticipation of Sirius' returning argument, Remus raises a hand, "Which we all know isn't what this is - but I've got to have _some_ cause."

Before Sirius can make another pointless argument, Lily sets her tea down and glances at each of her companions in turn, lingering on James for a moment at the last, then settling on Remus, "How about you send a few bobbies out to check our security?"

Sirius narrows his eyes, "Which would help - "

Lily grabs the second biscotti and pops the lid on her tea off so she can dunk it. "It would help spook them into getting things out of this latest shipment faster - and thus sloppier. I can't give you permission for a raid, but if you just _happen_ to see something sinister..."

James and Sirius watch quietly while Remus turns the matter over in his mind. It's not long before he extends his hand across the table, "You've got a deal, Dr. Evans."

* * *

They take a day to plan and for Lily to circulate the news that the police will be coming 'round, all of which time allows for since the weekly shipment isn't quite due yet. But they're ready the day of, with Lily playing her usual role at the aquarium and James lingering close by as her foxy, press pass wielding boyfriend. And though most people wouldn't notice, James is necessarily perceptive in general, and he's made a point of studying Lily Evans, so immediately upon his eight-o-five arrival that morning, he'd seen the tension in her shoulders and the wrinkle in her brow.

That perceptiveness means he also knows not to broach the topic until they're sharing a quiet lunch in her office, "So, you're nervous?"

"Eager - I just want this whole thing done and over with."

"Can't wait to get me out of your hair?"

Lily quirks a brow, "Maybe I just want to get _into_ yours."

James chokes on his egg salad and Lily pats his back comfortingly, though her loud guffaws lessen that affect a bit. "Alright there, Potter?"

"Just - uh - yes. Fine," he pauses, brushing the crumbs from his fingers, "Now stop deflecting with your sensual advances."  
She pouts, fiddles with her sandwich, and finally speaks, "I guess. It's just, seeing your sort of enemy get caught red handed _live_ should be the dream, right?"

"Enemies usually aren't so cut and dry in real life though, are they," James says softly.

Lily laughs, a bit teary, and leans forward to press a kiss to the corner of James' lips. "You're a lot wiser than first glance would indicate."

"If I was obvious about it, everyone'd want me," James answers, quiet as he brushes his thumb over her jawline.

"Well, thanks for sharing it with me then."

Just then, there's a short rap at the door and Luna pops her head in, "The police are here, Dr. Evans, they'd like to speak with you."

They both stand, Lily smoothing out yet another torturous pencil skirt and striding from the room while James trails behind her a pace or two, Luna taking the lead as she keeps up a steady stream of chatter that's oddly comforting.

When they enter the loading dock, there's a shockingly low amount of confusion and disarray, the actual raid having been calm. Maybe Remus should always work on whims and half clues if it brings in three arrests with such ease. At least that's the new argument James will be adding to their arsenal for next time. 'Oh, Remmy, remember how much _easier_ it was when you went off half cocked?'

His imaginary argument is cut off when Lily stops abruptly and he nearly slams right into her. Still, he's close enough to hear her mutter a swear under her breath.

Following her gaze, he sees a rather greasy looking bloke staring daggers at a triumphant Sirius who'd somehow convinced Remus to let him stick around for the bust. James recognizes the stranger in a few seconds, though he's taller, a bit more sallow looking, and _definitely_ more jaded. It's a shock, to be sure, and even more so when his dark eyes shift from Sirius to Lily and somehow manage to fill with more hatred than before. And while he never really cared for the little wanker, it's almost unmanageable to put himself in Lily's shoes, imagining Sirius staring at him like he wanted nothing more than to see him tossed into an active volcano or left at the mercy of a hungry carnivore.

He can't bring himself to resist the impulse and knit his fingers through Lily's - not for the pretence - just to give her some sort of comfort, however minimal it is. Lily doesn't hesitate, squeezing his hand in a vice-like grip, before releasing it and striding across the room toward Remus just like they'd planned.

It's a victory, sure, but James can't muster up much excitement when he sees the shuttering of Lily's eyes.

* * *

Once the police cars disappear and the Aquarium shuts down for the day, James hugs Lily a bit tighter than his usual, and she promises to call.

But she doesn't - well not for three and a half days, which is too long for James' minimal patience. Because he's an adult, but not that much, yeah?

So he slips his car out onto the street and in less than three quarters of an hour, he's sitting in the Scamander lot staring at his white knuckles like a crazy git. "Just - _go_."

He says it to himself three more times before he pushes himself out of the car and strides into the building, nearly plowing over a little eight year old boy who almost tosses his ice cream cone on James' trainers in retaliation.

Ever on a mission, James doesn't pause for more than a very mature pulled face and makes his way toward Lily's office with an approving nod from Luna as she directs visitor traffic.

All's quiet when he reaches her office door, and it's late, so he really hopes she hasn't slipped out before closing. Still, he's come all this way, so he knocks twice. "Evans?"

Her chair squeaks and those clipped little steps click across the floor until the door swings open. "Potter."

She's just as beautiful as he remembered - more so. And he knows she's had stuff to work though over the last few days, emotional shite that's got to be taxing. Which is why it's odd that his opening line is, "I didn't figure you for a liar."

Her brows raise into her hairline.

"So I'm hoping this was all a misunderstanding."

Lily smirks and gestures for him to enter. "I'm all ears."

" _You_ swore on the lives of all your jellyfish that I could ride a dolphin."

"I'm fairly certain I did not - but the dolphin swim we _discussed_ is still on the table."

Nodding, James leans back against a bare stretch of wall, hands tucked deep in his pockets while Lily putters around readying her office for her departure. After she's gathered her things, Lily lifts the phone receiver to her ear, "Lu? No more visitors in the dolphin enclosure, eh? Private event."

James catches her eye and there's a dangerous flirtation there he's not prepared for - but very excited about.

And soon enough, James finds himself trying to wrangle his body into a dark wetsuit that seems like it should be vacuum sealed rather than pulled on and zipped up. Feeling rather childish but also desperate, James lets out a whine and looks toward Lily, who's similarly dressed and _entirely_ too gorgeous. "Help?"

Lily glances up from the clipboard in her hand and does a double take, cheeks flushing the second time. "You- uh- what're you doing?"

"It's too small."

She jogs over, careful to avoid the slippery places, and comes to a halt much closer than is strictly professional. "I just eyeballed your measurements."

"Do I look this scrawny?"

Her eyes linger on his bare chest before darting back up to his, "I - no. You've just got a tight little bum that - "

"That what?"

Lily clears her throat, "So, I'm not a client anymore."

And James thanks his lucky stars this whole swim didn't go down while she was _still_ a client, because Lily in a wetsuit would've definitely wrecked all his self-enforced professional ethics.

"James?"

Straightening, James shuffles a little closer, "No, me and my 'tight bum' are no longer bound by professional standards."

Her fingers tickle up his abdominals, tease around his chest, and finally knit through his messy curls. "That's a relief."

James dips his head, lips just barely brushing hers, "I'm glad you feel that way."

Closing the distance between them, Lily kisses him once, twice, then lingering as her tongue teases at the seam of his lips, warm and wet and unbelievably enticing. When she pulls away, her braid is somehow already loosened and his wetsuit is much lower on his middle. "So- how about I help you out of this too small suit?"

Nodding, James groans when her hands dip a bit lower down his back and he walks them over to the locker room. As she nips at his ear and pushes the door open behind him, he lifts her so her legs wrap around his middle, but ducks away to get her attention. "I still want my dolphin ride."

She kisses him again, no pretensions about hesitating this time as she explores his mouth and lips with expert precision. Breathless when the kiss - or kisses - ends, Lily sighs, "Not to worry, there'll be time for _many_ rides today."

"And a date."

"My treat."


End file.
